Champions and Kings
by HikaruluvsRoses
Summary: After his elder sister is married off to a noble of another kingdom, Green suddenly has to shoulder all kinds of responsibilities as his grandfather, the current king, falls ill; sticky relations with neighboring kingdoms, disapproving subjects, underground organizations, and his own unresolved relationship with Kanto's Champion... Medieval-ish AU, various pairings, rated M.
1. Chapter 1

His sister is lovely.

All of Kanto is well aware of how gorgeous their princess is, and Green has grown sick of the amount of carriers that would come with letters of proposal from foreign nobility. He has gotten into several fist-fights with the knights that had gone so far as to attempt climbing onto his sister's porch in the night or would get too close to her when escorting her to conferences with Johto's young princess, Kotone. When they were but children, his own childhood friend had timidly admitted to wanting to court the princess once they were all older, which soured Green and Red's relationship from then on.

Green despises his sister's beauty.

"This is ridiculous," Green spits, narrowing his gaze at the woman standing before him. He grits his teeth as his sister sweeps her hair off of her back, his eyes darting to the side to avoid his gaze from lingering on her now-exposed back. "It always was. If you were a guy, you wouldn't have to be married off, and you could stay here and be the proper ruler that the citizens need -"

She should be a boy. She is responsible, noble, and considerate. She would be the perfect ruler, if Kanto's tradition did not forbid her from taking the throne simply because of what parts she did and didn't have.

"Why?" his sister whispers gently as a maid-servant gets to work on styling her hair while another adjusts the dress's fit on her waist. "So that you could continue fooling around and never accepting the fact that you have a reputation to uphold? This is for the best, Brother."

The best - as if. Nothing good would come from him being sat upon the throne, and they all knew it. The best solution would only be Red's childhood dream finally being fulfilled and Daisy being wed to the Kanto Champion. And that probably would be the case, if the stoic knight hadn't left four years ago to train Johto's knights in an attempt to better Kanto and Johto's relationship. It is common knowledge that Red is much better at just about _anything_ compared to Green, and even his grandfather has no doubt that there would be no exception when it came to ruling.

But they had lost contact of Red a year ago when the Champion had stopped writing back, and Lord Grimsley's offer of nine hundred million Poke in return for Daisy's hand in marriage had been hard to resist due to Kanto's need for repairs after a terrifying earthquake shook the kingdom and stole the lives and homes of many of its subjects.

Daisy turns her head slightly, raising her brow at her younger brother cockily. "Besides, it could be worse. I hear that my fiance is nothing but a gentleman." Green groans, running a tired hand through his brown locks in exasperation.

A gentleman? Green has no idea where Daisy got this information from, but Green had heard _very_ differently. When he had gone to Lady Erika in an attempt to gather more information on his future brother-in-law, the sleepy noble had informed him of the constant whispers of Grimsley's complicated net of seduced victims, and even though Green had informed his grandfather of this, neither of them could deny that Kanto desperately needed the money.

Regardless, Grimsley is _far_ from a 'gentleman'.

But his grandfather had insisted that perhaps Grimsley would be different where his sister was concerned - after all, why would he pay so much money on someone who he simply planned to throw away? - so Green was sworn to secrecy whereas Grimsley's "love life" was concerned.

Still, this does not prevent him from muttering, "I bet he's an asshole."

Daisy shrugs, and a maid-servant clucks her tongue to express her disapproval of the sudden movement. "That _would_ be suiting - I'm used to living with less-than-pleasant-men. I grew up with you, remember?" Green grits his teeth, trying not to snap back in reply. Instead, he struggles to change the topic to a lighter one in a vain attempt to avoid separating with his sister with bad air between them.

"That dress is nice on you," he states off-handedly, taking in the pale green silk that billows away from his sister's waist and forms a skirt that resembles the form of a Venusaur's flower turned upside down. A transparent veil that also has a pale green tint is attached to the silver tiara that one of her maid-servants now places atop of her head, but her light brown hair is so long that even the waist-long veil cannot hide the ends of it. One of her silver-gloved hands reach back to tuck a stray strand behind her ear, and Green is reminded of just what is wrong with this scene when the dark blue wedding band catches a small slimmer of light when her hand lowers. "Too nice," Green adds tartly, directing it at the maid-servants rather than his sister. And even though he can't see his sister's front right now, he knows from when he was shown the dress before that it exposes too much of her bosom for his tastes. Daisy clucks her tongue disapprovingly but makes no protest beyond that, instead allowing the atmosphere to become unsettingly silent yet again.

After what seems to be a century of distractedly watching his sister be measured and tugged at by her maid-servants, even Green can be excused for jumping slightly as there is a sudden and loud rap at the door. The knock seems to be less a request and more a warning, however, as no one has any time to permit the knocker's entrance before the door is swung open to reveal a short page with dusty red hair and a tunic that barely manages to stay positioned upon his frail shoulders. His flushed cheeks heave as heavy pants fall past his lips, although his tiny frame quickly straightens and his hand presses against his forehead in a sloppy salute as he stammers, "P-Prince Green! Your Royal Highness, sir! I-I've been sent to retrieve you, by... By..."

Green shoots his sister an exasperated look which leads her eyes to roll before allowing his gaze to flick back to the exhausted page. "Well? Who sent you?"

The boy's lips press into a faint smile, his eyes gleaming with pride. Green's brows remain raised as the page pauses, watching warily as the younger boy draws in a large breath. The boy's exhale is long and drawn-out, and Green can feel the talons of irritation clawing at his throat and drawing his hands into fists. Would the twerp just get on with it? It's common knowledge that Daisy's ceremony is scheduled at noon - only three quarters of an hour from now. And it's not like Green is the most patient person _regardless_ -

"I-it's Sir Red, Your Royal Highness! Our Champion has returned!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So since I was in a rush last time, I didn't get the opportunity to post my opening A/N there. "^u^ Sorry about that! There's also a bit of a note at the bottom explaining the role of Pokémon in this universe, so please read that before asking any questions! Er, but feel free to ask any questions anyways because I realize that my explanations may be a bit vague.**

**Summary: After his elder sister is married off to a noble of another kingdom, Green is the only heir to the Kanto kingdom and suddenly has to shoulder all kinds of responsibilities as his grandfather, the current king, falls ill. Sticky relations with neighboring kingdoms, disapproving subjects, underground organizations, and most of all, his former childhood friend and Kanto's Champion, who has just returned from three years of training Johto's knights and is now reawakening Green's unwanted feelings for him.**

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): Pretty much everyone and everything! Ha ha... In all seriousness, though, it'll probably lead to Namelessshipping with a bunch of background pairings.**

**Rating: M for alcohol use and sexual themes (if anymore warnings are needed, I'll add them as I go).**

* * *

"Red...?" Daisy slowly whispers as though trying to pronounce a foreign word. Moments that have felt like centuries have long passed since shock has silenced even the maid-servants, and the frozen women around her seem to take her speaking as their cue to resume their bustling final touches to the princess's assemble. There's a trace of something beneath the initial surprise in her tone that Green does not miss, and he is quick leap onto that trace of longing and care.

"The Loser's arrived," he announces, as though he had expected it all along, "Just in time, too. Now it's about time that your handsome Champion whisked you off your feet, and -"

"iBrother/i," Daisy's tone is curt, impatience replacing her surprise as she shoots him a withering glare. "Red has summoned you. It is unbecoming of a king to keep a friend waiting." Green scoffs, shrugging in a manner that he hopes comes across as nonchalant as he steps around the page and into the doorway.

Just as he is about to enter the long corridor, Green looks back over his shoulder to raise his brows at his sister. "It's unbecoming of a princess to talk as though the current ruler is already dead," he drawls mockingly. "And it's unbecoming of a Champion to be doing the summoning. Come on, twerp," he calls to the page as though adding it as an afterthought, and Daisy has no opportunity to muster a reply before both boys have already disappeared into the hall.

A defeated sigh rolls off of her lips, and one of her maid-servants mutters a protest as her lady's shoulders visibly sag. "Red..."

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Green wonders if this is a dream.

After all, while the mop of ebony hair and stiff posture is unmistakably familiar, the man that stands by his grandfather's throne is much taller than the Red he remembers, and any last traces of baby fat that had stubbornly clung to the fourteen year-old Champion's face had long since disappeared. There's something different about the teen's face in general, actually, though it's difficult for Green to identify just what it is. Is the Champion paler? Is it that his hair is not nearly as well-kept as it used to be? (That is, less than it was in the first place.) Green's gaze flicks to his rival's arm as the burgundy cloak Red wears flickers with movement, and his gaze catches on the long blade of the other boy's weapon. He raises his brows, meeting Red's scarlet gaze while trying his best to ignore the Pikachu that continued to sit on his rival's shoulder.

"So," Green starts, a sly smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. "What happened to courting my sister, Loser?" Red's jaw tenses somewhat, and Green can feel his grin widen. "There's still a chance, you know - when they say 'speak now' or whatever? Just actually open that mouth of yours and I'm sure Daisy will run off into the sunset with you in seconds."

"Green," his grandfather finally speaks up from his seat, and despite the injuries that he sustained from the earthquake clawing at his tone, any pain is mostly overshadowed by the unquestionable authority that cuts through the air as he addresses the prince. "We've talked about this."

"That was before Red got back!" Green hastily interjects, shooting the mentioned Champion a somewhat sheepish grin. "You know damn well that he and Daisy would make much better rulers than I'd ever be! Hell, they might even turn out to be better rulers than you!" Oak's gaze softens somewhat as he shoots Red his own apologetic smile before turning back to his grandson.

"Daisy will take good care of Lord Grimsley's land, and his city's people," Oak states slowly, as though explaining something to a child. Green clenches his fists, his gaze narrowing as he considers making another retort. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at it), Oak continues, "And Kanto needs the money he's offering. And even though Red earned a lot through his reign in the tourneys, his savings wouldn't even come close to what Lord Grimsley is offering us." He pauses, looking back to Red. "Sorry, Red."

Red shrugs, but beyond that his expression remains blank and his lips remain sealed. Green turns his glare to his rival, though the cold scarlet gaze that meets his fiery one makes him feel undeniably foolish. Regardless, he doesn't dare let it show, shrugging his own shoulders while coolly pulling his gaze away. Oak sighs at the exchange, pushing his hand through his thinning hair tiredly. "That aside, Red's finally returned; Daisy's wedding is not the only event we'll be celebrating tonight."

Biting his lip, Green shoots Red a side-glare before tartly stating, "Yeah, well, I still haven't heard what took him so damn long. I doubt Johto's knights were so hopeless that this loser couldn't even afford to spare a quick moment in order to return our letters."

Red says nothing still, his gaze flicking to Oak as though requesting he speak for him. Kanto's king smiles tightly, gripping the throne's armrest as he pushes himself out of the cushioned seat. "After training Johto's knights to their full potential, Red felt as though it would be best for him to improve his own skills. He's been dueling against wild Pokémon in Mount Silver's relentless blizzards for the past year." Green's expression is otherwise dead-pan as he purses his lips.

"Well, it's not like he's been the only one that's been training..." Green mutters, lightly brushing his hand against his own sword's hilt. "Now that I think about it, a tourney to determine whether or not the title of Champion is still yours is in order. Want to start the preliminaries right now, Loser?"

Red opens his mouth for the first time since Green was brought into the throne room, but Oak is quick to interject. "We don't have time for something like that right now, Green." His gaze flicks to the clock mounted on the wall warily. "Soon enough, you'll be taking the throne and be unfit for the Champion position, and we really do need to get around to properly preparing you for that position - that, and Daisy's ceremony is due to start in ten minutes." He pauses, looking over to Red with a tired smile. "Red, I'm sure Green has some spare outfit knocking around you could borrow, so..." The Champion nods stiffly in reply, and Oak briefly turns to Green to merely wave his hand as a temporarily farewell before taking his exit.

The silence that overtakes the room is stifling.

Awkwardly, Green clears his throat, raising his brows at the teen that still stands on the throne's podium. "You can get down from there now, Loser. I figured training on a peak like Mount Silver would satisfy your need to stand on top, mm?" Red mirrors Green's expression, his own thin brows raised as he steps down.

"I'm not you," the Champion murmurs, though it is not the insult that leads Green's shoulder to stiffen. More than anything else - his hair, his lack of baby fat, his pale complexion - nothing is more startling than Red's voice. Well, it's not entirely alien; beneath the almost frigid smoothness, there's still a trace of the awkward boy he knew, yet... Green shakes his head, turning away from his rival in an attempt to play off the conflicting feelings tumbling in his gut.

"Whatever," he states tartly, stepping forward to begin the march to his own room, not bothering to check to see whether or not Red chooses to follow.

Needless to say, he doesn't get very far before Red's voice abruptly cuts through the tense air yet again. "Green." Groaning, the prince twirls sharply on his heel, his expression blank as he takes in the teen standing across from him. Unfortunately, Red initially doesn't say anything more, allowing the tense silence to mend itself before finally murmuring, "I'll win the title of Champion again if need be." Green almost laughs, shrugging as he turns away.

"Do what you want," he replies loftily as he starts walking yet again. "But surely you realize that it'd probably be me you'd end up serving."

Red watches in silence as his childhood friend disappears, his scarlet gaze flicking down to the blade handing at his side as Green's proud steps echo down the hallway. "But isn't that the reason I picked this up in the first place...?" he murmurs to no one in particular. Pikachu coos softly in concern, rubbing his cheek against Red's affectionately. A slow smile tugs at the Champion's lips as his gaze flicks down to his partner, and he can feel the tension leave his shoulders upon taking in the Electric Mouse's gentle expression. "I suppose there's still a lot of training left to do..."

* * *

**Notes on the universe: So while I haven't had the opportunity to really explain this yet, the idea is that everyone has _one _Pokémon as their battle partner, and the weapons are forged with a certain metal that allows the Pokémon to channel its power into it... Of course, this will be displayed once we have an _actual battle scene_, but pffft even I don't know how long that'll take.**

**Thank you for reading, and feel free to ask any questions you may have~ ^u^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Starting now, A/Ns will be written at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

One would assume that seeing a person's childhood love being married off for the sake of their kingdom would sting one's heart with cold and unspoken rejection; that contempt for one's fate would draw them away from the burning celebrations and into their own frozen kingdom.

Such is not the case for Red.

There have been times when he has felt defeated, hopeless and unsatisfied. There have been times when he has felt contempt, disgust and disappointment. After all, the road to knighthood is a long and tiresome one and his earliest days of training against Green are not amongst his favourite memories, and training under Captain Surge was no stroll through the park either. Even in the more recent years, there had been times upon Mount Silver that his heart ached and his hands throbbed for a living human to parry against, but somehow that fails to compare to how he is feeling now.

Rather, he feels empty.

It is almost something similar to hunger, he supposes. It's a very hollow feeling, and his stomach feels almost heavy with tension, yet none of the dishes spread across the tables lining the ballroom seem capable of interesting him. Shaking his head, Red scans the ballroom once again - as Champion, is it suiting that he be the one to look for trouble, after all. It doesn't take long for his gaze to find what seems to be a drunken Captain Surge quarrelling with one of the foreign guests, and Red wastes no time in gripping the hilt of his sword before drifting over, cupping his other hand over the lieutenants shoulder and ignoring Surge's light jump in response while allowing his gaze to flick over to the fiery-haired noble standing tall across from him. Slowly, Red draws his gaze away from the other man's, turning to softly whisper into Surge's ear, "I think it'd be best if you took a step outside, Captain." The captain says nothing at first, his only response being a heavy sigh that reeks of alcohol.

For a moment, Red worries that his former mentor won't cooperate, as the blond doesn't move besides relaxing his shoulders somewhat. While Red wouldn't have the same problems defeating Surge as he had as a page, he can only imagine the problems getting into a fight with one of his own nobles would cause here - already, Kanto's relationship was a bit rocky with a handful of its neighbours, especially due to the recent ripples in Johto's security due to the reappearance of that one terrorist group Kanto had supposedly eliminated five years ago. Also, Oak's injuries are only making matters worse, what with how well-respected he is by the higher-ups of the other kingdoms. The last thing they need right now is for Kanto's Champion to get into some quarrel with one of the more respected nobles at a public event such as this. Fortunately, it seems Red has jumped to the worst possible conclusion, as Surge shoots him an apologetic smile before ruffling the younger knight's ebony hair affectionately. "See you in a bit, kid." With that, the captain turns and disappears into the crowd, though Red does not miss the final bitter glance he shoots at the noble he had been quarrelling with.

Now, Red turns to the fiery-haired teen himself, bowing his head somewhat in order to express some form of silent apology. "So, you're Kanto's Champion, eh?" Red blinks, raising his head before emitting a slow nod in response. The foreign noble grins, extending his hand in what seems to be an offered handshake. "The name's Chili. I'm one of Unova's lesser nobles." He laughs good-naturedly as Red hesitantly places his hand in his, and the Champion still says nothing as Chili firmly grips his hand before dropping it. "I had heard you were the stoic hero type, but I have to admit that it's still surprising that you're so stiff at a place like this." Subconsciously, Red's jaw and fists clench, and his gaze flicks to the other side of the room. There's a flicker of silky green, and Daisy giggles as though she's actually enjoying herself as a tall and dark-haired man that Red can barely recall as Grimsley hands her a tall and elegant glass.

A drink. Perhaps that will fill this emptiness in Red's stomach.

Chili cocks his head to the side, following Red's gaze before chuckling softly. "You don't have to be too worried 'bout her, you know. Lord Grimsley has a pretty horrid reputation, but..." He shrugs, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "Most of it is spread by the White King's lackeys, honestly." Red bites his lip, his brow furrowing. To be honest, he isn't exactly worried about the Unovian lord mistreating his princess - perhaps he's just in a state of shock? After all, it _had_ been his childhood dream to be in Lord Grimsley's place... Well, not exactly. This golden ballroom is nothing like the lush meadow he had imagined dancing with her across, and the suffocating embrace of billions of unknown guests is nothing like the soft caress of fresh flowers he had hoped for. Thinking on it now, Red almost chuckles at how naive he had been. For a princess, surely a wedding ceremony such as the one he desired would be impossible. If he told Green, his former childhood friend would surely laugh aloud and tease him to no end. And yet...

Perhaps there is a small part of him that still wishes for that.

"Hey, Red?" Startled, Red's gaze swings back to Chili, who stares at him with a dull shine of curiosity dancing within his irises. "There were a couple rumors I heard, and could it be that -"

Chili never finishes, however, as a sudden flash of movement catches both of their eyes as a rustle of skirts and a gentle grip on Red's hand announces the arrival of another, and the Champion's startled scarlet gaze is quick to meet Kotone's warm chesnut one. The princess cocks her head slightly, a small and shy smile tugging at her lips as the slightest pink tinge dusts her cheeks. "I was looking for you," Kotone explains quietly, though her softer volume does nothing to hide the shred of excitement that seeps into her tone. "Um, I was wondering if you needed a drink..."

A drink? Red's gaze briefly flicks back to where Daisy stands, watching his princess sip delicately at the glass Grimsley brought her. His jaw clenches slightly again, and he becomes aware of the growing emptiness in his stomach as he turns back to Kotone. "I can get it myself -"

"Oh, no, no! That's fine," Kotone reassures him, dropping his hand as she takes a step back, her silver skirt swaying as she shoots him another timid smile. "I was, er, wanting to grab you one! So, um..." Shyly, she looks over to Chili before quickly turning back to Red. "It'll be okay. I'll be right back, so don't move!" And she disappears as quickly as she came.

Neither Kanto's Champion nor Chili say anything as she leaves, though as soon as her gown has been completely swallowed by the masses, the Unovian noble shoots Red a cheeky smile. "I guess I was misinformed," the fiery-haired teen drawls, much to Red's confusion. "I suppose this explains why you weren't representing Kanto in court for so many years..." Red blinks, startled as Chili's hand claps his shoulder as though the two have known each other for a lifetime rather than a couple of minutes. "Anyways, I gotta go catch up with my brothers. See ya, I guess." And just like Kotone, Chili disappears.

Sighing, Red watches the other teen disappear. He isn't _completely_ oblivious, of course - he's aware that his childhood crush on Daisy was no secret. Before he had left for Johto, it had been one of his few weaknesses, as several of his opponents felt it would be suiting to aggravate him through bringing the princess up, or even going so far as to say that the winner of the match would win her hand in marriage (under one of these circumstances, Red had gone a bit too far, and even though Oak had lectured him to the point that it would never happen again, he is well-aware that any other opponents that happened to take this approach were later taken care of by Green). But now... Again, Red finds himself watching Daisy and her husband, though the pit in his stomach is impossible to identify as any feeling. Perhaps that's just it, though.

Perhaps he isn't feeling anything at all.

* * *

**A/N: I realize that my chapters are short, and I'm really sorry about that! *Laughs* Still, I hope that doesn't lessen your enjoyment of the story at all~. Anyways! Somehow, Chili always manages to get a strange amount of attention in my Pokemon fanfiction... I'm not entirely sure why, though. I think I just like writing about idiots, ha ha. Mm... I don't think I'll have any notes on the universe for this chapter, although I realize that there may (or may not) be questions about how Unova's monarchy works. If that is the case, feel free to drop a review! Er, not that you're not allowed to drop a review if it isn't a question about that, but... You know. I just thought that it's being a bit touched up on the text in the next couple chapters, but if it isn't entirely clear, I definitely don't mind explaining it!**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story! uwu**


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING: Slight sexual themes in this chapter whoops~ coughalthoughit'sjustGreenbeinganidiotcough**

* * *

Oak would _kill him_ right now.

Actually, he's pretty close to killing _himself_.

"Y-you're not as rough as I expected you to be," Shauntel murmurs thoughtfully as Green nips at the Unovian General's neck yet again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the statement. Instead, he grips her short purple strands tighter, draws his arm around her firmer, and sinks his teeth into her harder, yet her only response is a delicate yet taunting laugh that only frustrates him further. "I meant no offense," she hums, softly running her hands through his own hair. "I'm just surprised, is all."

"Just shut up," Green grumbles as his fingers tug roughly at the strings of her indigo corset. Dammit, he _hates_ the chatty ones; Shauntel in particular sounds almost as though she's _planning_ something, like this is just some kind of weird experiment to prove a theory of hers. Of course, he's too stressed and too drunk to really care, but that isn't exactly making this any easier, _especially_ since he had been far more interested in Shauntel's quiet and golden-haired companion, though the dark look of who he can only assume was the other woman's escort made it clear that he wasn't going to get anywhere close to _her_ tonight. Fortunately, the corset isn't a particularly complicated model - much unlike its wearer - and falls away easily, leading a thoughtful 'hm' to slip past Shauntel's lips as he tugs her closer and attempts to silence her by roughly pushing his lips against hers. Somehow, she manages to giggle once again, and Green does his best to not groan aloud as one hand drops to tug at the chatty General's skirt.

He's not sure whether the sounds of the door opening is a blessing or a curse.

Now, Green finally allows his pent-up groan to escape as he pulls away from Shauntel to meet the sharp scarlet gaze of his Champion, though he manages to resist punching Shauntel in the gut despite her only response to the interruption being an almost excited giggle. Alright, it's definitely a curse. "What do you want, Loser?" Green spits, and for a moment Red remains silent as his gaze falls to the discarded corset lying by Green's feet before his gaze flicks to his prince's open tunic. Finally, a quiet sigh falls past the Champion's lips, and the ebony-haired teen raises his hand to his face in some meager attempt to shield his gaze. Had the circumstances been any different, Green would probably laugh at his former childhood friend's reaction, but of course he isn't actually in the most humorous mood right now.

"Her Royal Highness and Lord Grimsley are departing," Red mutters, just audible enough for Green to catch. "His Majesty says that you should be there..."

"Gramps says a lot of things," Green grumbles, stepping back from Shauntel and beginning to fix his shirt. He shoots the Unovian noble a look that he hopes comes across as apologetic (after all, as much as he finds her annoying, souring Kanto and Unova's relationship might not be the safest thing for his sister right now) before turning back to his Champion, crossing his arms and cocking his brow at the ebony-haired teen. A moment of tense silence passes as Shauntel makes herself presentable also, though Green doesn't even bat an eyelash in her direction. "And what have you been doing all evening, anyways? Drinking away the sorrow of watching your childhood love be wed?" Red shoots him an aggravated look, though Green doesn't miss the flicker of embarrassment that dances across his features. Shauntel comes to a stop beside Green, looking much too interested in he and his Champion's exchange, though neither take the time to tell her to leave.

"I only had one glass," Red mumbles with a flustered look in Shauntel's direction. "And it was of water." Green shakes his head, chuckling lightly.

"You _are_ of age now, Red. No one's going to be on your case just because you get a bit drunk at parties and maybe pick up a girl or two." Red says nothing, turning to leave the room and leaving only the stench of expectation in his wake. Groaning, Green reluctantly follows, and Shauntel bounces along behind him. "Come on. Tell me you at least allowed yourself a dance or something?" It's almost weird, how persistent Green is being about this. Hell, it's freaking _him_ out, never mind how _Red_ must feel. But hey, Red liking Daisy is kind of the entire reason their relationship soured, so it's only right of Green to be kind of concerned, right? ... Right?

"I... Danced with Princess Kotone," Red finally admits as they turn into the ballroom, and Shauntel claps her hands excitedly in response. Green ignores her, though even he has to admit that he's surprised.

"Wait, did you ask her to...?"

"No, she asked me," Red replies curtly before he and Green step onto the stairwell that leads onto the balcony that Daisy, Oak and Grimsley currently stand patiently upon. Finally, Shauntel splits up from them here, drifting back to that quiet girl she had been with earlier. Green's gaze lingers on the purple-haired woman's back for only a moment before he turns back to what lays in front of him, his green eyes now set on his sister as he walks towards her. It's only as Green and Red are just making it to the top of the staircase that Green realizes that there is another figure standing alongside Grimsley also, and the stranger's hazel gaze meets his immediately as Kanto's prince steps onto the landing.

"Where were you, Green?" Daisy asks before he can demand that the stranger introduce himself, and despite her gentle tone there is a trace of barely-hidden impatience that Green is far too familiar with.

Green shrugs nonchalantly, ignoring Red's scrunitizing glare as he smoothly changes the topic, "Who's this kid?" He nudges his nose in the stranger's direction, ignoring the fact that despite calling the other teen a 'kid', he can't be more than a year younger than Green himself.

"This is my king, His Majesty Touya," Grimsley purrs, leading Green to stiffen slightly. "Due to the war against the White King being on hold for the time being, he was able to attend the wedding." Green nods, as his gaze flicks to Touya yet again. A part of him is somewhat startled that he wasn't aware of the king's presence sooner; then again, he was practically sleeping through the ceremony and by the time the celebrations started, the only guests that really interested him were the women.

"It's a shame we couldn't meet sooner, Green," Touya remarks flippantly with a somewhat sheepish smile. Green merely shrugs in a similarly off-handed manner, and it is Oak who responds to the unspoken question:

"With my injuries, it was - and it still remains this way - important that Green is kept out of harm's way, in the case that I must step down from the throne." Green blinks as Oak bows his head somewhat to the younger king, and he can even feel Red tense up behind him. "Hence the reason that he couldn't be properly introduced to you before now." Touya laughs, waving his hand as though attempting wave away the tension.

"Well, the war will hopefully be wrapped up soon, and then Green will be able to visit the court whenever he likes." There's the slightest glint of impishness in Touya's eyes as he says this, and Green can't help but clench his fist slightly - there are few things the prince hates more than being talked about as though he is not present, though it is an unfortunate habit that his grandfather takes part in often. "Anyways, this isn't about Green right now," Touya adds, turning to Grimsley. "Are you sure you don't need to be escorted? Black City is a long ways away from here..." Grimsley chuckles good-naturedly, shaking his head and wrapping his arm around Daisy's shoulder while Green can do nothing but bristle at the almost taunting display of affection.

"We'll be fine," the Unovian General replies suavely, twirling one of his fingers - the one where his own ring is worn, Green notices - in Daisy's hair distractedly as he speaks. Daisy doesn't make any protest, smiling softly as she allows her husband to make any choices for her.

... Green really is ready to kill himself.

* * *

**A/N: Weak ending is weak. Short chapter is short. Terrible author continues to be terrible. TT^TT**

**Besides that, I finally got the opportunity to have them all interact with Grimsley *laughs* Actually, all of Unova's Elite Four besides Marshall is at least mentioned in this chapter! Well, I guess neither Alder nor Iris is, too, but you know. Also, I'm afraid that Kanto's relationship with the other countries is a bit unclear right now... I think more than anything, the country as a whole is not on good terms with its neighbors, but due to the amount of respect Oak receives from potential threats it's in an okay place right now uwu.**

**Also, to answer the amount of reviews that have been asking about Red/Green, that probably will be the fic's final destination~ Especially considering as that was the original plan when I began writing it xD And also to those who have mentioned liking Red's characterization, thank you very much! I think I'm always worried about posting stories with any of the Pokemon player characters, considering that my headcanons may stray from those of others in terms of their personality and relationship with other characters, so again, I thank you~ Uuum... I think that's all I really have to say here. Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!**


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